At stake in this election:

Description of government structure:

Assembly: United States has a bicameral Congress consisting of the Senate with 100 seats and the House of Representatives with 435 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government. The president is popularly through a system involving the Electoral College. Each state receives a number of Electoral College votes equal to its two Senators plus its number of seats it has in the House of Representatives, which is based on its population. Washington DC receives three electoral votes. A candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes (at least 270) to be elected president. The president serves a four-year term, for a maximum of two terms.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by an electoral college to serve a 4-year term.

In the Senate 100 members are elected by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 435 members are elected by simple majority vote to serve 2-year terms.

* One-third of Senate seats are up for elections every two years.

Main parties in the electoral race:

Party: The Republican Party

Leader: Marc RACICOT

Seats won in this Senate election: 19

Seats won in last Senate election: 22

Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 231

Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 229

Party: The Democratic Party

Leader: Terence McAULIFFE

Seats won in this Senate election: 15

Seats won in last Senate election: 12

Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 200

Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 205

Last Legislative election:

The last legislative election took place on November 7, 2002.

Population and number of registered voters:

Population: 293,027,571 ( 2004 est. )

Registered Voters: 210,421,000 ( 2002 )

Gender Data:

· Female Population: 148,116,767 (2004)

· Is United States a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

· Has United States ratified CEDAW: No

· Gender Quota: No

· Female candidates in this election: Yes

· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 5 (Senate); 65 (House) following the 2004 elections

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